Roberto De Zerbi admitted Tottenham have significant work to do after their new-look side began the Premier League season with a 3-0 defeat at Brentford
Spurs have invested heavily in their squad in the transfer window, but De Zerbi said the players have yet to develop the unity required to compete effectively.
“I think we are not a team yet, for a lot of reasons,” De Zerbi said. “Before you become a team, you can’t say what you can do.”
Tottenham are expected to take their summer spending beyond 300 million pounds, but De Zerbi stressed that recruitment alone cannot create the necessary understanding between players.
“You can’t become a team from the transfer market window – the player on paper, no,” he said. “You become a team with the players; they find the connection between them, they find the spirit, they find the soul – it’s a process.”
The Italian also admitted his players were not fully prepared physically, with some returning late from the World Cup and others still building their fitness.
“We are not in the right point in physical condition for a lot of reasons,” De Zerbi said. “But these are not excuses. This is the normal situation when you are building a new project, a new process.”
However, he was particularly unhappy with Tottenham’s lack of competitiveness as Brentford dominated the physical battles.
“We could fight stronger than we did today,” he said. “We lost too many duels. We arrived second on the second ball; we didn’t win one second ball, one duel, one tackle, and it’s tough.”
De Zerbi believes Tottenham need to establish both a clear playing identity and a stronger collective mentality.
“We have to become a team, and to become a team, in my home, there are two big conditions: the soul and the style of play,” he said. “Today, we didn’t show the soul, and we didn’t show the quality of the play with the ball and without the ball.”
Despite the heavy defeat, De Zerbi remains convinced his squad can improve quickly.
“We need time, but I think we are much better than we showed today,” he said.
Tottenham face Charlton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday before hosting Newcastle in the Premier League. De Zerbi believes those matches can provide an immediate response, although he insists the rebuilding process will take longer.
“Even if we win Wednesday or next Saturday, we need time to become a team,” he said.
